Chimera

 

By Arna and Tessa

 

 

Part 2

 

‘Urgent. All personnel to evacuate immediately. Repeat: Urgent. All personnel to evacuate immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat ... ' The station computer announced in a monotonous drone.

 

Ryu looked up from his workstation. This was not the time for another of Pata's stupid jokes. One would think a man of his age and experience would not be bothered with such trifle silliness - practical jokes, oh p~lease. He sighed; for crying out loud, Pata was a Trill symbiont with nearly 200 human years of life experience; he was doctor of cybernetics, and yet he enjoyed messing around with station operating systems. And it was getting boring too—he did almost the exact same thing one week ago. If Pata wanted to play tricks he could at least think of something more original than standard evacuation procedure. Ryu sighed; he had decided that Pata had obviously mixed with the wrong bunch during his Academy days and has since developed a number of juvenile habits. When would he start acting his age? Ryu ignored the alarms. Everyone knew nothing ever happened on Chimera X. It was just another remote Science facility, of no real significance to anyone, and not a fully-armed, battle-ready station like the infamous Deep Space Nine.

 

He hummed to himself and went back to his latest experiment. He was playing around with some cloned tissue and pirated Borg technology. It was a yummy piece of biomechanical genius and it made him tingle all over just at the thought of its capabilities. So far, he had figured out that it acted much like a data port, an illegal organic-mechanical hook-up interface used by many criminals to access computers directly through the mind; well, it saved one from typing. As much as he wanted to marvel at its wonder, he was working with a limited timeframe. Some time ago he had received a top secret transmission requesting his assistance in an important project; something about Hive Minds or other.

 

He was about to begin a reconstructive sensor probe when the lift doors opened with a swish and the missing Dr. Pata appeared.

‘What ARE you all doing?? The alarm! Can you not hear??’

 

Ryu winced at Pata’s shrill voice. He had sensitive ears. ' We know, Pata, we know. This is just like last week, isn’t it? When the security alarm, the red-alert klaxon, and the all-clear signal went off together? Have you been fooling around with the system again? Oops, silly question. That’s obvious, isn’t it? '

 

Pata opened his mouth to speak but the shudder of the station was enough. The station Commander's voice came on the main comm line. 'All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill! All hands to battle stations! Immediate approach of Jem'Hadar vessels! All citizens, please evacuate to the escape pods!'

 

A hushed murmur ran though the scientists working on ground level. Quickly and calmly, all workstations were abandoned. Ryu scanned his table in a panic; he couldn't just possibly leave everything; the others may have been conducting standard issue research; he had been specifically ordered to complete his research by Starfleet Command. Grabbing a satchel, he started scooping up various stats and pieces of miscellaneous equipment. Ripping up part of his sleeve, he wrapped the piece of Borg implant gently as he could and secured it on one of the padded pouches inside the satchel.

 

Pata ran down the stairs against the tide of people and seized him by the shoulders, 'What are you doing? Get out of here already, Ryu!'

 

'But – but - but...’ He stuttered.

 

He never knew what hit him when he felt fingers clamp over his neck, a strange wrenching, then his fingers loosened their grip, and his legs collapsed under him and he sank to the ground in a heap. The whisper died on his lips.

‘… The implant … we need … the Betaz …’

 

+

 

The Jem’Hadar Attack Cruisers came around and began another round of rapid fire.

 

+

 

Pata glared at Kirito. 'What do you think you're doing? What are we gonna do with a passed-out human??'

 

'He was reacting illogically and allowing his emotions of fear and anxiety to prevent him from speedy action. I was merely relieving him. I will ensure his safely, Dr. Pata. ' Kirito picked Ryu up. ‘He is not heavy.’

 

Pata gave a quick nod and snatched up a few random isolinear chips, ‘Hang on!’

 

Turning, Pata started running towards the escape pods while Kirito kept up with quick wide strides. The satchel once clenched in Ryu’s hands slid along the metallic flooring. Another explosion rocked the station and people poured into the main promenade towards the evacuation routes. Pata glanced at the view port he ran past; he could see an array of unrecognisable battle cruisers lining up to fire upon the station. He was about to follow Kirito down some steps when it shook.

 

His eyes flicked around the station in a panic, the walls seem to shudder and shrink in on themselves. He gasped and fell back when the stairs before him collapsed from the shockwaves. Standing, he grabbed the nearest railing for support, frantically looking around in the chaos for his friends.

 

‘Ryu! Kirito!’ He called.

 

The Vulcan had a wound on his head, but signalled he was okay. Ryu, on the other hand …

 

+

 

In the dead of space, the U.S.S. Aurora de-cloaked as the shuttle Ariane approached.

 

+

 

Yoshiki sighed on the view screen, ‘Just remember, Serpent’s Tail, be on your guard. It’s more likely than not that the Dominion forces are responsible for this. There’s a Terran by the name of Dr. Ryuichi Kawamura, a Trill Dr. Pata, and a Vulcan Dr. Kirito. Make sure they are fine – if any of them are deceased, I will have you report it immediately, do you understand? We’re looking for Dr. Kawamura. He was recently analysing the biomechanical implants that allowed the Borg Collective to maintain their Hive Mind to see if their methods could in anyway aid us with our project.’

 

Serpent’s Tail nodded, ‘I understand.’

 

‘How’s our Commander Shinya Yamada?’

 

Serpent’s Tail smiled, ‘Asleep. He also brought some baggage with him – one by the name of Takeo Ishikawa.’

 

‘Useful; student in alien technologies. Are you good at your job or just lucky, Serpent’s Tail?’

 

The said person flipped back their red hair and gave a wicked smile, ‘Let’s just say I’m extraordinarily talented.’

 

+

 

Sugizo grinned and landed a huge slap on Shinya’s knee, ‘WAKEY WAKEY!’

 

The human groaned, turned over and covered his face with his hands, stubbornly refusing to come back into the real world. Sugizo rolled his eyes at the standard human response. They had been aboard U.S.S. Aurora for an hour at least already; he wasn’t here to sleep. He was here to work. Sugizo smirked; at least Shinya’s butt was now free. Welding the nearest datapad he found, he grinned in devilish delight before striking. The result was very pleasing to his senses.

 

‘WHAT THE - !’ Shinya jerked up and fell off the med bed.

 

Sugizo climbed onto it and stared down at the prone human, grinning still. ‘Poor Commander Shinya, attacked by the evil Sugizo. Now please get up, sir. A grown human looks silly on the floor.’

 

Shinya dragged himself up and glared at Sugizo, ‘You …’

 

He shrugged and gave his most disarming smile, ‘Yes, me again.’

 

‘Listen, Sugi or Sugizo or whoever you are, I’m Starfleet and I’m an important man, they’ll send people after me.’ Shinya said, slowly surveying the room with his eyes. ‘What faction are you with? Are you Founder -?’

 

Sugizo sighed. Humans could be so …illogical sometimes. ‘No, sir, if you look around, I think you’ll notice we’re in standard Defiant-class officer quarters modified into a makeshift medical bay. And I am Sugizo. I haven’t lied, I’m just not Starfleet. I’m covert operations, Shinya – may I call you that?’

 

Shinya gave a faint nod.

 

‘I know you probably don’t believe me,’ He smiled, ‘But I swear I’m telling the truth.’

 

Shinya gave him a critical look, ‘Yeah, disbelief is about right; irritation would be more on target though. And you smile too much.’

 

The Deltan grinned even wider. ‘Come on, Commander Shinya, be nice to me. I was ordered to do this to you and so if you have any complaints, take it up with the higher powers; don’t pick on little old me – I’m an innocent in this. I just happen to do the dirty work.’

 

‘How do I know what you’re saying is the truth?’

 

Sugizo shrugged nonchalantly and gestured to his surrounds, ‘Look around yourself, Commander. What do you see? Do you see cages? The brig? Torture implements? Romulans? Jem’Hadars?’

 

Everything Sugizo was saying sounded right to him. He recognised all the trappings around him – he’d served on ships like this and slept in quarters such as these. But they could still be easily replicated. The only thing that seemed really out of place was Sugizo. Despite being attired in plain black uniform-styled clothing, he leapt out of the scenery with his flaming hair, now twisted and skewered neatly with a red stick.  ‘Then if we’re still in Federation space and you work for the Federation, why was I kidnapped?’

 

The Deltan grinned, ‘Well, we had to include another member on the spot. He’s behind you.’ Shinya turned; Takeo was lying on the bed in the far corner. Shinya turned and stumbled back; Sugizo had somehow approached without sound and now stood toe to toe with him – if taller, Shinya admitted. His proximity was disturbing, as usual. ‘If you want to know why you were kidnapped, it was to keep the operation a secret.’

 

‘Operation?’ Shinya perked up, ‘What operation are we talking about here?’

 

Sugizo bent down with a predatory smirk on his face. ‘The plan to infiltrate the less desirable aspects of the Orion slave trade with Starfleet personnel posing as top-of-the-market prostitutes.’ He paused to enjoy Shinya’s shocked look before backing down with a sigh. ‘Of course not! What do you take me for?’

 

‘I don’t know,’ Shinya muttered, hoping he wasn’t blushing. ‘A Deltan with a highly developed libido.’ He muttered under his breath; good thing Sugizo’s race didn’t have above average hearing. Shinya reminded himself to carry ice, dry humour and lots of nerve when dealing with this creature of suggestion. That is, if he was still alive by then.

 

‘Anyway…that would be a waste of your talents. They should send me instead,’ the Deltan winked, then decided he had tortured Shinya enough. He extracted a red stick keeping up the volumes of molten hair. The cascading effect was once again … disturbing, as usual. ‘Here, isolinear rod for you. This should explain everything.’

 

And Shinya was left alone with the red translucent rod. He sighed; now where was the nearest computer? Shinya paused and snickered; trust a dangerous Deltan to use a data holder for their latest hair accessory.

 

+

 

It had been silent for over 10 minutes now. The trembling, shuddering and booming had stopped. The others were tinkering around with the emergency channels, attempting to call for a rescue. It was silent except for the heavy breathing of the injured. None of them had sustained any lasting injuries, except for the man lying immobile in the middle of the escape pod.

 

Pata shook his head, ‘I say take it out, Kirito!’

 

The Vulcan frowned and pressed his head to the human’s chest, ‘No, Dr. Pata. He is functioning.’

 

‘Where … where is my -?’Ryu choked and squeezed his eyes shut as a burning sensation travelled though his chest. ‘- my bag?’

 

Kirito nodded and held out the satchel, ‘Here, Doctor.’

 

Pata snatched it from Kirito and threw it behind him in a fit of frustration, much to Ryu’s distress. ‘What the hell?? Ryu!! You’re hurt and you’re still going on about your stupid research??’

 

‘I am … my work …’

 

‘No you’re not, you stupid human!’ Pata turned to Kirito, ‘Take it out, Kirito!’

 

‘But I see no –‘

 

The Trill clipped the Vulcan on the head, ‘This isn’t Vulcan physiology, Kirito!!!! We have to take it out NOW!’

 

Kirito stood in shock at having been just attacked. He couldn’t grasp how this Trill could be so illogical.

 

Ryu blinked from his painful daze, ‘Take it out’ He gasped dryly, ‘Take it out … it’s coated in … that experimental synth-metal XYZ12 …it can … be dangerous … take it out … we’ll work …’ His breath hitched and his voice became breathless, ‘… it out later … just take it … out.’

 

Pata gave a pleading look to the Vulcan standing stoically, ‘You heard the man; take it out, Kirito.’

 

Kirito nodded.

 

The Trill nodded back and ripped off the sleeves of his lab. gear in preparation. ‘It’s gonna hurt.’

 

+

 

Sugizo sat down on the command chair and stretched, ‘Lieutenant Hyde, set a course for Science Facility Chimera X on the outer edges of the Betazed System. It’s listed in the computer under 12297262.’

 

The navigator turned to look at him, ‘Sir? Are we no longer heading for the Neutral Zone?’

 

‘We have to make a detour. Communication was recently cut off from this science station. They suspect that the Dominions have destroyed it and we’re going to see if there is anyone out there still alive. Does that answer your question, Lieutenant? Or would you like something deeper?’

 

‘Ah … yes, sir …’ Hyde tapped away at his console, ‘Done, sir. Altering course now.’

 

+

 

Takeo stared at the Replicator in front of him; he was at a loss what to order.

‘… you are required to work with a team of other highly specialized scientists and engineers to decode the secrets of this stolen Borg technology and to find a way of utilizing it to create a temporary Hive Mind among Starfleet and Romulan personnel chosen for this mission … the only way to win a battle with the Dominion is to create a united fighting model and with the help of trained Betazoids and Vulcans, it will be under strict control … the device must not have any lasting effects … we trust in your capabilities … ‘

 

Commander had taken it well. He immediately requested to be put on active duty. He was now probably up on the bridge, taking command position and feeling right at home. Takeo knew this was what he wanted - excitement, charging off to save the galaxy – but somehow, he didn’t feel so hot now he was in the hot seat. Sure, just do his job, figure out some alien mechanism and wow – you’re promoted. Maybe Commander had been right the entire time.

 

It was easy to talk about, but hard to do; he sighed. ‘Delovian soufflé, I`danian spice pudding, Kavino juice.’

 

‘Someone feels down.’ That blasted Deltan with the perpetual smile of Sunnyvale.

 

The Replicator churned out his order, and he picked it up with a sour expression, ‘Well you don’t get kidnapped and knocked out everyday. I thought I’d start in early on the junk.’

 

Sugizo just grinned and walked up to the Replicator, ‘Andonian tea, hot.’

 

Takeo was going to groan when Sugizo sat down opposite him and proceeded to preen and sip simultaneous, ‘What do you want?’

 

‘Hey, have a little respect. I am the bloody captain of this ship, thank you very much.’ Sugizo saluted him with his cup, ‘Cheers. I hate the stuff but it’s good for keeping me awake.’ He downed it in one gulp and then made a face, ‘Yep … still gross.’

 

Takeo smiled; ‘Then why do you still drink it if you hate it so much? Isn’t it … well, illogical?’

 

Takeo got a glare, ‘I’m not a bloody Vulcan you know. And because it makes me stronger; I won’t like everything in the universe; I drink it so the bad guys will have nothing to torture me with. Besides, I haven’t slept in ages.’ Sugizo smiled, ‘I also hate coffee with a vengeance but don’t tell Commander Shinya that or he’ll have a coronary.’

 

‘Yes, he’s quite a coffee fanatic.’

 

Sugizo groaned, ‘Please! Don’t talk to me about it! I made his ‘real’ coffee every morning when I was there. And he seemed to think I would enjoy the experience of making real coffee; must be some human thing. The smell was horrifying.’ He smirked, ‘Too bad he has to drink the replicated stuff now. Ah … he should enjoy it – the ultimate fast food, eh?’

 

‘You only did it for 3 days; I did it for all the 6 months before.’

 

Sugizo gave him an accusing glare, ‘But you’re human! YOU like coffee! Your race made the forsaken stuff!’

 

Takeo laughed. He was still mildly annoyed at Sugizo but he was kind of confused now. Back on at the colony, Sugizo had been a bright-eyed, hyperactive commanding officer with the pheromones from hell and a cheeky nature to boot; somehow, now he was just cheeky, but he was a lot less … he was just different. He wondered if this was a side-effect of being part of covert operations. He knew that these people were the spies and informants of the Federation; mysterious shadows that didn’t exist. Sugizo, in that case, was a very colourful shadow; not at all what he expected – but maybe that’s why they were successful?

 

Sugizo’s comm. badge beeped and interrupted his thoughts.

 

‘Yamada to Sugizo.’

 

‘Excuse me,’ Sugizo tapped his comm. badge, ‘Yes?’

 

‘We’re at Chimera X like you wanted … but it doesn’t look … too good.’

 

He caught Takeo’s gaze, ‘Coming to the bridge, Lieutenant?’

 

+

 

The whole station had been destroyed; haul breached with decompression occurring within seconds. One could actually see little bits and pieces of the scientists’ lives float past. A teddy bear, an Andorian dress-up dolly, a few data pads, someone’s spare uniform, some equipment, and even a bar of Risa candy. From the looks of it, some never made it, while others did only to be blown up when they ejected their pod.

 

The science officer, Lieutenant Kyo made a little frown, ‘Sir! I’m reading life signs! Seven of them … in the proximity of the docking bays … in one of the unreleased pods! I have 5 humans, one Trill and one Vulcan.’

 

Shinya frowned at Sugizo, ‘You don’t have a medical bay aboard do you?’

 

‘No,’ He replied, ‘But that makeshift one should do. We can immediately head out to one of the nearby stations and get medical help if necessary. Nearest one is only half an hour at maximum warp.’ He turned to Kyo, ‘Have them beamed to our temporary medical bay and call Dr. Terachi down there. Also, get some off personnel down there to play nurses. Shinya, come with me. We might be meeting your future work colleagues.’

 

+

 

Ryu coughed and tried not to scream as Kirito punched a hole though his chest into his lungs with the valve head. His body was covered in a cold sweat and he blinked against the saline. The pain was incredible and the world seemed like a dazed dream, voices sounding as if under water and the world getting dimmer and dimmer. Part of him wanted to go with that dimness, for the pain became dimmer as well, but the little girl across him was staring at him and he couldn’t just leave.

 

Pata had told him calmly that the stairs he and Kirito had been on collapsed and subsequently, a pole had punctured through. Part of the pole had still been in him when he awoke to this nightmare; they had taken it out but the trapped air had then proceeded to crush his lungs. The valve was the only way he was going to stay alive longer for any rescue party to come. The Vulcan pushed harder and he half coughed, half screamed against Pata’s cloth-embalmed hand. Finally, the lungs were breached and the air pump was administered.

 

‘Feeling better now?’ Pata asked.

 

Ryu nodded faintly; the pain was crippling all verbal responses but sound was returning.

 

Kirito stood, wiping off the blood on his hands. ‘You may operate the valve every half an hour. It should keep the lungs operational for up to 7 or 8 hours; after that, we will see.’

 

Ryu nodded weakly; 7 hours to live … not a lot of time. He passed out.

 

+

 

The doctor looked up in disbelief. ‘We have a signal.’

 

+

 

Dr. Terachi scrambled to assist, ‘Put him down here!’ With his medical Tricorder, he began assessing the condition of the patient, ‘He has sustained some serious injuries. He has a puncture wound to his ribcage; it appears that air entering his body proceeded to crush his lungs. The valve is working but he’s out cold. I don’t think he can revive himself. His natural morphine-producing ability is at a naught.’ The doctor gave the  temporary nurse a frantic look, ‘This man needs a shot of TLX342.’

 

Science officer Kyo opened all the medical drawers and started ransacking through it, ‘I have TLM870! Three doses total! Would that be sufficient??’

 

Dr. Terachi nodded, ‘Yes. Administer full dosage now!!’

 

The door opened with a gentle hiss. Sugizo ran in with Shinya closely following behind.

 

‘Report, Doctor!’

 

‘Sir! You’re a Deltan!’

 

Sugizo blinked, ‘Yes?’

 

‘I need your assistance immediately in helping this patient, sir!’ Terachi seized Sugizo by the arm and pulled him to the bedside, ‘He has no morphine-producing ability on his own – please remove your shoes, sir – and we need him awake! His lungs will be crushed – sir, get on the bed please – if he is not awake to administer the valve that pumps out the air!’

 

‘Is there anything you can do?!’

 

Terachi shook his head, ‘I’m sorry! The valve put into his chest as a first aid measure is currently working, but I cannot guarantee it how long that will last! He’s currently passed out – the valve is manual and needs to be operated by him every time he feels a differential change in lung pressure; with him out cold like that, we have no control! We need him awake, sir! Without any medical facilities, the only way to lessen the pain and thus have him conscious is for you to offer some of the natural medical qualities of Deltan chemical output!’

 

‘You want me to WHAT?? You want me to let him absorb the chemicals I secrete??’

 

‘Well it is possible, and it’s not like you don’t flaunt your fragrance around everywhere anyway, sir.’ Terachi winced. ‘And I was hoping for a mind-touch too – I read about this in Starfleet Medicals.’

 

‘This is not a bloody REPORT here! There is this human on the table dying!’ Sugizo blinked, ‘And I do NOT flaunt my chemicals around! It’s natural! What do you expect me to do anyway?? I’m not trained for this kind of thing! I was command-trained!’

 

‘So?’ Dr. Terachi gave a strained smile, ‘You’re only my only option, sir. Please.’

 

Sugizo stood in thought; this human was going to die if he didn’t do this, and Yoshiki had said that the human was one of the people that he needed … ‘Alright … I’ll do it. You owe me an invitation to your birthday and unlike humans, I intend on going naked like the rest of your Betazoid friends.’

 

+

 

Dr. Terachi was a Betazoid of light air, good bedside manners and a soft-spoken demeanour. Shinya had decided he had an air of calm and was pleasant to be around; he just wondered what the nude birthday party comment was about. ‘The Miyamotos are all fine; minor injuries, nothing a First Aid kit couldn’t fix up. I’ve assigned them my quarters so they can get some rest; their little girl is a bit shell shocked. The other two girls had no injuries to speak of but I suggest they be dropped off into the care of a counsellor as soon as we reach the next station.”

 

He nodded; before he could speak, Dr. Terachi smiled, ‘I’m glad you have such a high opinion of me, sir. And Betazoid gatherings are usually done in the nude; Captain wishes to attend my next birthday.’

 

Shinya blinked; he’d forgotten Betazoids were a race of powerful telepaths and Terachi was more likely than not reading everything that was going on in his head. Birthdays? In the nude?? Sugizo in the nude at a birthday party; Shinya grimaced – oh geez.

 

The Betazoid looked up and grinned, ‘I promise I won’t release the details of your thoughts, sir.’

 

Shinya felt another headache coming on; if it wasn’t Deltans with sharp mouths, it was Betazoids who second-guessed you.

 

The good doctor led them to another bed where a Vulcan lay perfectly immobile, ‘Dr. Kirito had a head wound but due to his Vulcan physiology, it has healed well.’ Dr. Terachi stopped and sighed wearily, ‘There is, however, Dr. Kawamura.’ The doctor indicated to the closed doors of the make-shift medical bay. ‘Deltans have light telepathic capabilities which allows them to share the pain of the injured;’ He explained, ‘The pheromones they give off also have a morphine-like effect on humanoids. If it weren’t for Commander Sugizo, I would have given up.’

 

Shinya snorted; Sugizo as a doctor? Please, just the idea of the Deltan being lovey-dovey, ‘how’s the temperature of the soup?’ was a novel notion enough. Oh yes, Shinya could just imagine it now; Chief of Medical Sugizo. He sniggered; no way in hell – sexual healing indeed.

 

‘Ah … you, Commander, should know better than anyone that people are strange. I assure you that Commander Sugizo has many talents; you don’t reach the rank of senior Commander without having a fair number of tricks up your sleeve, to use the your own race’s phrase.’

 

Shinya winced; ‘Would you stop doing that?? It’s so annoying!!’

 

The doctor grinned, ‘I know.’

 

+

 

He walked toward the Terran, with almost killing hesitance. The situation was certainly grave and required immediate attention, but somehow, he just couldn’t get himself moving faster. He wasn’t trained for this; never in his experience had there ever been the necessity for this voluntary violation. It was more than physical relief for pain, he knew. It required a depth of commitment and communication he was never inclined to share. He was covert ops; not free to just do whatever.

 

On the makeshift med bed he lay, white face peaceful, hands folded calmly, a picture of quiet repose except for the plastic valve poking out of his chest, edges stained a ragged crimson. He winced at the sight; blood bubbled out with each unnatural wheeze.

 

Sugizo looked down at the unconscious human; his hands hovered over and framed the face. Slowly they lowered as he closed his eyes and opened his mind. The pain emanating from the human’s body was strange and intense; he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for this. As if he ever could be prepared to share a piece of his psyche with a stranger – life wasn’t like that. Taking a deep breath, he lay his hand upon the human’s forehead and began the treatment. He began to strip away the pain …

 

+

 

Somewhere from behind a veil, he watched the red-haired being approach. The colours ran down the walls and everything was dreamlike, misty, filled with streams of light and shot through with slivers of silver. He thought that if he reached out, he could comb his fingers though the long tresses.

 

The stranger approached, fingers sliding effortlessly through filmy cloth. A fading sense of dissociation then he was struggling through the sluggish waters, toward the faraway voice calling him. His head was delicately clasped within those hands.

 

The world exploded in a ray of white blinding light.

 

+

 

The initial shock was a wash of sharp agony through the constant gnawing pain. Sugizo moaned and gripped the edge of the med bed, sinking to his knees. He breathed in shallowly, heartbeat accelerating. The thin thread he had generated between their minds was feeding him the pain, and he accepted it and made it his own. It flowed through him endlessly, mounting and surging past the thresholds he had hastily built, under the raging torrent of its welcome release. He gasped and groped around the room for something to clutch and squeeze; drowning under the senseless flood he scattered the equipment and crushed the empty morphine tubes under his fingers. The sharpness of broken glass abrading flesh – funny how minor scrapes could still hurt so much -- and Shinya was banging on the doors. A strangled half wheeze of ‘I’m fine’ and he hunched over, holding on by a hair-edge of control.

 

Some time later, he lay half curled against the bed, trembling and sweating. A fine line of acid burning his nerves away; his fingers twitched involuntarily. His whole body jerked in a spasm, uncontrollable shudders racking his frame. But he held on, hand strangely gentle over the cold forehead. Returning peace and calm and reassurance in exchange for pain.

 

A thin dribble of something salty and warm, and somewhere amidst alien lancing fire he tasted metallic blood. He had broken open his lip. 

 

So this was human pain …

 

+

 

Someone was standing next to him, vague and blurry through wispy swirls of red mist; and then he realised it was wraithlike strands of blood-streaked hair that wrapped around himself in a quiet caress.

 

+

 

He lay in a half-stupor for who knows how long, until his hand fell from the bed and hit the floor with a distinct thump. Sugizo absently rubbed at the minor ache; he had experienced far worst. He wondered vaguely if they could put padding in.

 

His mouth was dry and there was a bone-weary ache throughout his body; the last traces of remembered pain. He pushed himself up slowly, wincing at the effort needed. He was exhausted, hungry, and feeling terribly weak and vulnerable. It would definitely take him quite some time to recover. He wanted a shower – real water preferable; Delvin fluff pastries – 3 of them and he didn’t care if they were indeed fattening; Thalian chocolate mousse; Yridian brandy; and a bed.

 

‘You better appreciate this,’ he muttered to the human, who was still dead to the world.

 

Sugizo frowned. After going through all that, the human still had not awakened? He threw him an irritated glare, ‘I’m not a healer, but I can’t be that bad, can I? I just effectively downloaded all the suffering in your miserable body and you’re still in your little fantasy?’

 

He got up and walked over to the med bed, ignoring his protesting body. Time for rest later; much to his frustration. Picking through the remnants of the Aurora’s limited medical supplies, he gave himself a shot of a mild relaxant.  If after investing so much into this human, nothing worked, he really was going to scream. If he could find the energy, of course.

 

+

 

So drowned in angels, so tangled in bliss…

 

Ryu opened his eyes, and squinted against the white glare. Someone standing over him, one hand reaching out in benediction. The wisps of red hair floating out behind him, drawing away from its nurturing caress. The reassuring presence he had felt in his mind. The voice that called him. Someone he felt he should know. If only I knew the right words perhaps I could see him…

 

‘I know you. You’re the angel…’ he struggled to form the words, miserly as he knew they would sound, to the ethereal being who stood gazing down, a soft nimbus of compassion and beauty surrounding him like a halo, ‘Thank you.’

 

A wash of heavenly light, sublime ringing of clarion trumpets, anything. What he did not expect was the dry reply, ‘Angel? What’s that? Some outdated Terran mythology, right? I hate to sound Vulcan, but humans can be so illogical at times.’

 

He gaped.

 

The red head snapped his fingers and grinned, ‘Oh, wait, Yoshiki says that humans will understand this phrase; I hate to sound like a bitch, but humans can be so screwed up sometimes.’

 

Ryu blinked and felt his jaw drop. The figure standing over him was no winged creature of lore; the curve of that grin alone could turn people on end. He tapped a finger to his cheek, and Ryu noticed the long sharp nails; they were hard to miss, being a deep rouge. When he noticed him looking, he leaned close and ran one down his cheek.

 

‘They are beautiful, aren’t they?’ He grinned, his eyes full of mischief. ‘Don’t they feel … nice?’

 

Ryu stuttered a soft affirmative. This was no angel; he didn’t think any being carrying such an air of suggestion would ever be allowed into the hallowed ranks of angels. Probably would give the rest a heart attack. Probably give him one too, he thought dryly; not as if it wasn’t already the case.

 

‘If you still insist on spouting all that nonsense, and staring at me with such wide, wonder-filled eyes – nice eyes by the way, really must compliment – I might really start to think you left your mind somewhere else.’ He knocked on Ryu’s head, and gave a genuine smile. ‘You know, shock or excessive blood loss, excessive hormones, or that ugly thing sticking out of your chest. Hey, are you listening to me? Don’t you know it’s universally impolite to not acknowledge people?’

 

Ryu ignored the words. He was undeniably familiar, a presence that had once smoothed away the agonies and snapped the tangled snarls of branches. He almost expected the memories to jump at him. He felt that he should have recognised him. A sense of déjà vu attached to everything about him; the hair, the face, the feeling. Where had he seen him before?

 

He turned back to Ryu and grinned, ‘Hmm … watch this.’ Holding up his hand in front of Ryu’s face, he gave a little frown. Ryu looked at his hands; what was he supposed to be looking for? The long nails started growing! Ryu watched the nails extend with a sense of growing alarm, and almost jumped at the crackled of electricity between 2 tips of his “angel’s” nails.

 

He grinned impishly, ‘Neat, eh? It’s new; I just had it installed the other day. So don’t make me mad or I might go after you with my claws; who knows, you might enjoy it.’ He laughed at his shocked expression, ‘I’m joking! I’m joking! Calm down before you blow a blood vessel! You humans are a lot of fun to tease, haven’t you realise it yet?’

 

‘I know you!’ he blurted. ‘You…’ he frowned. Try as he might, he could not quite place where. And yet he was absolutely certain he had seen him before. He had been kind and warm and understanding, and had made him feel…safe. He wondered briefly where he was, but somehow, he trusted him. He took a discrete look around.

 

‘Well this is the first time I’ve met you, so I don’t know how you’d know me. Anyway, first introductions then. I’m Sugizo, captain of this bloody ship that doesn’t even have a proper medical bay.’ he made a face. ‘Caused us a lot of trouble that.’

 

‘But…I’m sure I met you somewhere before…’ even as he said it, the strange feeling of familiarity was disappearing like mist before a breeze. He frowned to himself and rubbed his head; he hated it when things just flew away – he wanted to remember, dammit! He stared again at Sugizo, scrutinizing his features, noting the tired creases between his eyes – something so minute that most would miss it.

 

‘Can’t see how. I just came in to give you some painkillers,’ Sugizo said, nodding toward the morphine tubes littering the floor. ‘Well, if you’re not gonna introduce yourself, Dr. ...’ He gave a delicious smile and narrowed his eyes, ‘Are you sure you’re not just making that up? If my education on Terran culture is correct, I know humans have a tendency to use that as a pickup line.’

 

Ryu opened his mouth to protest, ‘No, that isn’t -! No I didn’t mean it – I mean, I didn’t even – it hasn’t even – I SWEAR to you that nothing in the sort at all –! We don’t even use those anymore -!‘

 

It was in vain; Sugizo smirked and waved a hand, ‘Anyway, that isn’t important; besides I already know exactly what you mean.’ He winked and Ryu felt the urge to throw himself outside an airlock at this embarrassing situation. ‘What’s important is that you’re feeling better. Are you sure you can breathe properly with that thing? Looks kinda ugly to me.’

 

‘What?’ Ryu mumbled, still staring at Sugizo. That red hair which hung down his back, glinting with its streaks of pink under the bright overhead lights. No wonder he had thought he was an angel. He was…unreal. No human being would have red hair like that, no way in this lifetime – and he was a geneticist so he should know. Ryu wondered what race he was.

 

Sugizo sighed. ‘I know my crimson locks are pretty, but stop staring at them, okay? You’re gonna give me low-self-esteem cos I’ll think there’s something wrong.’ He ran a hand through his luxurious tresses and pouted, ‘Besides, my hair’s a mess. Stop making me make a bad impression. No time for nothing anymore.’

 

He lifted up a few strands to the light and sighed mournfully at the invisible split ends. ‘Well,’ he continued, ignoring Ryu’s fascinated gaze, ‘Apparently, you’re alive and kicking, to use the Terran phrase. Now do you need me to adjust your valve? Or can you make it back to the station without breathing? I’ve never seen a blue human before …’ a slow smile formed on Sugizo’s face, ‘…but you could be my first.’

 

Ryu blinked, and tore his eyes away from the smirking creature standing over him. He lifted his head with an effort, and saw the ugly plastic tubing sticking out of his chest. As he drew in air for a scream, he watched in shock as dead blood bubbled at the torn edges where the valve had so rudely been thrust into pale flesh.

 

Ryu’s eyes rolled up in his head and he fainted, head falling back onto the med bed with a loud clunk.

 

Sugizo stopped his rendition of the evil doctor and looked down at the once again unconscious human. ‘Well, I know the sight of me can stop people in their tracks, and it’s usually the hair, but really, no one has ever fainted before.’ He ended on a dry note, ‘Don’t know whether it’s a compliment or an insult.’

 

He bent over and inspected the valve, which vibrated in rhythm to the wheezing flow of air down to his collapsed lungs. No congestion, just a lot of bluster. ‘I guess that means you’re breathing right. Well, just hang on until we get to our next stop.’ He turned to leave but paused. Turning back, he lifted a hand and gently combed away the black hair, leaning in to brush his lips against the sleeping forehead. ‘If you dare to die along the way, I’m gonna kill you. Slowly, and painfully, with the nails. Sleep on it.’

 

+

 

Personal log of Admiral Yoshiki:

It’s been just a few short days since the Romulans joined the war and already they’ve hit 16 bases along the Cardassian border. Trust the Romulans to do it this fast. They’re out for blood, and they’re determined to get it. I’m glad they’re on our side but they’re still an infuriating bunch. They only agreed today after haggling for four hours. I could’ve shot them myself. At least unlike us, they don’t wait once they’ve decided. The Fleet arrives in three days. I’ve heard I’ll have the pleasure of meeting Commander Youjeen, heir to one of the most powerful seats on the Romulan Senate. If this operation goes well, not only will be a victory against the Dominion, but also a victory in Federation/Romulan relations. She could be the beginning of an understanding with the Romulan Star Empire after 200 years of tension.

 

+

 

He lay on his bunk, unable to sleep. Dr Terachi had recognized the weariness behind his comfortably worn façade of command, and prescribed him for rest. He had been threatened; the Betazoid stated that he would be forcibly removed from the bridge if he did not comply. Doctor’s orders; whatever! He snorted. Despite his protests, he was secretly glad that someone knew how exhausted he was, even as he felt angry with himself for that weakness. The healing had taken much more out of him than he realized.

 

At least the ship was in good hands. Shinya was definitely capable enough, overseeing the crew, sitting on that bridge drinking his damn coffee; Sugizo grinned. The human had even made a few trips down to engineering and was currently rigging up an energy-saving weapons system. He had the entire ship running smoothly, more than enough for him to take a few hours of much needed and deserved rest.

 

Everything was fine, so why couldn’t he sleep?

 

Sugizo closed his eyes and forced his muscles to relax. Fine, if he couldn’t sleep, he could at least try some meditation. It seemed to work for Vulcans anyway. Of course, he thought dryly, everything seemed to work for the Vulcans; they didn’t seem to mind the fact they only reproduced every seven years.

 

He breathed in and out slowly, clearing his mind of the space dust…

 

An image floated up. The face of the young scientist he had saved and antagonized this afternoon. Asleep, the pale face peaceful under soft illumination. Just before he could utter his name, reach over with one hand and touch his cheek to awaken him, the eyes opened. Dark eyes staring at him, suffused with warmth, filled with the familiar. Violet-eyed and blue-eyed, strange glass windows to the coreless, sharing the dream. Glass, not a force-field; only cut and bloody hands could break the illusion – there was no easy way, there was no switch.

‘It’s cold here.’

‘Is it?’

‘It’s a vacuum in here.’

‘Inside?’

‘Where else?’

A blue-grey smoky dream without colour or sensation – even the soulless had their bedtime stories. Over his shoulder the klaxons were ringing, shouting out a red alert, splintering their silent conversation, forcing him to look away from that regretful gaze. And when he finally turned back the eyes were closed … he must have imagined their colour…

 

Sugizo blinked and sat up with a distinct feeling of loss; his heart was feeling strange, heavy and ill-at-eased. Rubbing his chest, he breathed deeply. Considering he was usually too exhausted to dream, it was most unusual. He didn’t know how he could possibly conceive those images – it was like a vision.

 

‘What?’ he muttered, mouth dry, tasting of numb sleep. ‘Computer, time.’ The onboard Computer’s pleasantly mechanical voice; seems he had been asleep for two hours. Sugi threw himself back on the bunk; he just didn’t want to move. His whole body just wanted to sink into the bed sheets and melt.

 

Abruptly he became aware of a minute beeping tone, set in frequencies too high for the insensitive human ear to hear. A pre-arranged signal that only a few people would know. Sugizo scrabbled off the bunk, tripped over his discarded uniform and hit his thigh against the metal struts of his desk. So much for rank hath its privileges and all that shit; command cabins were tiny on this ship, rank or no rank.

 

With a muttered curse, he picked himself up and sat next to the vidscreen, barking out a curt ‘Sugizo.’ before carefully rubbing the painful spot on his thigh. Okay, he conceded – technically, he didn’t actually exist in the Federation’s official records so maybe he shouldn’t complain too much.

 

The grey neutrality fuzzed and resolved into Admiral Yoshiki’s face.

 

‘What in the name of Jalara Guardians happened to you, Serpent’s Tail?’ The Betazoid frowned.

 

‘Thanks,’ He muttered, ‘So nice to know you noticed. Was it the eyes or the hair?’

 

‘Forgive the expression, but you look like something the Jem’Hadars dragged in. The hair. Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?’ Mock horror at the last few words underscored Yoshiki’s amused expression.

 

‘Live with it, Yoshiki. I’m not in the mood for jokes. Spill; why did you call me? Considering the cost of the security involved, I dare say this isn’t for socializing or sexual adventurousness on your part.’ He could almost feel the bags under his eyes, and the limp and dishevelled hair hanging down his back. Totally unglamorous – yuck. Where the hell was his silver ibis clip?

 

Yoshiki raised one eyebrow. ‘Prickly today, aren’t we? Where’s that rather irritating confidence you are so famous for, um?’

 

‘Look, just say what you have to say, all right?’

 

Yoshiki frowned a little. Strange, Sugizo was never this…uncollected. He always seemed to be in control of things, no matter how trying the circumstance. Genuine concern coloured his voice, and he wished Betazoid mental abilities could cross the gap in space so that he could examine his most reliable agent. ‘Are you sure you’re feeling fine?’

 

‘I was just tired. No one has ever interrupted me while sleeping.’ With a visible effort, Sugizo pulled himself together; no point in getting Yoshiki worried – the man was practically running the war; he didn’t need more problems. ‘You have lousy timing; I was having a dream about a beach on Risa…’

 

‘Well, that’s because no one has ever caught you asleep before.’

 

‘True, true.’ Sugizo gave a dramatic sigh, ‘Horror of horrors! I must be getting old!’ He paused a little then gave Yoshiki a cheeky wink, ‘ Remind me to kill myself before I ever get as old as you.’

 

Yoshiki rolled his eyes. Sugizo was certainly feeling better – at his expense. He reminded himself that such lapses seldom happened, if they ever did at all. He was too much of a self-contained person for that; if anyone had independence written all over them, it was the one and only Sugizo.

 

‘All right. Enough chitchat. You need to make a stop for restock.’

 

‘Whatever for? We still have enough energy stores to reach base. Shinya, you know, the Terran I picked up?’

 

Yoshiki heaved an annoyed sigh, ‘Excuse me, but I believe I sent you.’

 

Sugizo’s lips twitched, ‘Just in case you forgot, I took the liberty of reminding you.’

 

‘Thank you, but I can manage.’ He replied blandly.

 

‘Well, so far I got him awake. Ishikawa and him have been settling in; made nice like you said and fed them. Anyway, being annoying and pesky humans as they are, they began ripping the ships schematics apart and since then, he’s been devising an energy-saving system. It actually seems to work quite well but…’ Sugizo stopped short. He had been babbling.

 

‘Sug,’ Yoshiki asked worriedly, ‘Are you sure you are feeling all right?’

 

Sugizo blinked. This indiscipline was intolerable. ‘Of course I am! Just testing your sympathies for your poor covert ops specialist here. With all the work you load on me, I’m going to die, not of old age, but of overwork!’ he sniffed mournfully. ’See, even talking to you gives me wrinkles!’ His face and voice relaxed and once more he was consummate professional, if a very trashed out one. ‘Now who do you want me to pick up?’

 

‘Take a slight detour to this station.’ A corner of the screen lit up with some coordinates. ‘You are to pick up one individual. Take good care of him; he is going to be extremely valuable to us in the upcoming war. Try to be quick – the Romulan fleet is arriving soon. Well, good bye!’ Yoshiki reached out a hand to cut the connection.

 

‘Wait! How am I supposed to know who he is? At least give me a name!’

 

Yoshiki paused and smiled slyly. ‘Ah…I think he’ll make himself known to you. He is a very…colourful character. Well, have fun and good luck!’

 

His face disappeared, and Sugizo was left staring at the blank screen.

 

Asshole. Sometimes he felt like wringing Yoshiki’s skinny neck. If he wasn’t his boss, of course.

 

Sugizo stood up and stretched. He caught a glimpse of himself in the sheet of reflective surface that served as a mirror, and had his shock of the day. No, make that shock of the decade.

 

‘I look terrible!’ He ran his hands through his mess of hair, wincing at the haggard and pale face that stared back. Sugizo sighed. There was no way out. He would just grin and bear it, and hope no one would notice; yeah, like they weren’t. ‘Damn. This isn’t doing much for my self-esteem. I know I feel like shit. You just had to make it worse by making me look like shit too, don’t you?’ he accused his reflection.

 

Healing took too much out of him.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck.’ He attempted to harness his tangled locks. ‘Where’s that stupid ibis clip?’

That miserable human had better appreciate it.

 

+

 

In orbit around Romulus.

 

Commander Youjeen of the Romulan House tr’Lainn stepped on to the bridge of her Warbird Vesta and took a deep breath. ‘Officer, move the Vesta out. Inform the fleet to follow suit. Contact the Mizeru and inform Commander Klaha that the operation has begun. Heading is Station Alpha Omega – it’s listed under #5397. I expect our arrival in a day.’

 

Turning, she swiftly left the bridge.

 

+

 

Delicately he slid the brush across. Synthetic hairs, not the rare raw fibres of an Oiania plant. He sighed at the second rate brush; he was a sensualist at heart. Physical sensation comforted as well as satisfied. And now he needed at lot of comforting. No one ever saw him messed-up and lived to tell the tale, and he preferred to not kill his friends. Well, most of the time.

 

Sugizo stared at his reflection in the mirror, frowning a little in concentration. Not too bad; he was quite an artist, one could say. After all, few managed to master the exact curve of the brow, the angle of the cheek, the precise pressure and stroke. He pursed his lips experimentally. Not bad at all! Once the rather plain humans got over seeing him in makeup, they’d be so stunned by his beauty that they would never notice the eye bags. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was sympathy.

 

Ah, joy. He winked at the mirror. Now that was the Sugizo he knew.

 

Whistling happily at his rather deft salvaging of a potentially horrifying situation, Sugizo slung a bag with all the necessities (makeup, a combat knife, more makeup, a phaser-hand-rifle, battery cells, another phaser) over his shoulder and exited the room. Yoshiki said to pick someone up at the Station Omega VII but he didn’t specify how they were going to do it. Time to surprise the crew with an unexpected shore leave.

 

+

 

Lieutenant Hyde looked up. ‘Captain?’

 

Sugizo stretched. ‘Nice, aren’t they? It’s the latest fashion from Argelius II. Well, actually its last month’s latest…but with all the fashion unconscious around, I guess no one will really notice! So, ‘ he paused, leaning over Hyde’s navigation console, ‘What do you think?’

 

Hyde blinked. His captain’s shirt (if it could be called a shirt) was open down the front, rather suggestively so; a choker of some silvery metal around his neck. His…scent was best left un-described. Hyde’s eyes travelled up and he noted with what was left of his mind that the captain was wearing a mixture of dark purple and red eye shadow, and slightly glittery too. ‘I – I, captain , I …’ he stuttered.

 

‘What the poor boy is trying to say, Sugi dear,’ a voice heavy with sarcasm, ‘is what the hell do you think you are doing in civilian clothes? It totally destroys the professionalism you never had.’

 

Sugizo turned around slowly, allowing all and sundry on the bridge to view his outfit. ‘Shinya, I’m appalled! You call this merely clothing? This work of art?’ Sugizo smirked, ‘On such a work of art as well?’

 

Shinya rolled his eyes and sighed. ‘You better have a good reason, Captain. We are in the middle of a war, you know. You’re dressed inappropriately -‘

 

‘For blowing up people like a certain Terran in front of me?’ Sugizo grinned. ‘Yes, but its time for a little R and R! What’s your favourite fantasy, Shinya? Being the original Enterprise’s Scotty or getting a lap dance from an Argelian?’ Sugizo winked.

 

Shinya blinked. ‘Excuse me???’

 

‘Where we’re heading has some really great holodeck facilities. Lieutenant Hyde!’ Sugizo descended suddenly on the navigator, ‘Set a course for Station Omega VII . Coordinates listed in the computer. We need to refuel and pick up supplies. Starfleet orders.’ he paused again and then whispered, ‘Hyde…close your mouth. Its rude to stare even for humans.’

 

Hyde shut his jaw with an audible clack. Sugizo spun around, feeling distinctly cheerful. There was nothing like gape-mouthed admiration to boost the ego. And well-applied makeup too, of course.

 

‘But you shouldn’t be wearing civvies until we get there! Its…its not done!’ Shinya protested, if only because Sugizo looked even more poisonous in the outfit than in uniform. How the man could make it so high up in the ranking ladder was completely beyond him. The Deltan was a flake; no responsibilities! No sense of priority! No sense of the appropriate! He was a classic command nightmare! No, make it just that – a classic nightmare. How he could even have been considered for covert ops was just … crazy.

 

‘Come on, Shinya, don’t be such a stickler for regulations. We’ll be getting there in like, half an hour? Right, Hyde?’ the navigator nodded dumbly. ‘Give me just this little bit of time to show off my outfit! After all, attention to fashion is going to be the greatest victim of this war…’ he trailed off mournfully. ‘That and vacations.’ He brightened instantly; so typically … Sugi … Shinya noted dryly.

‘So its time for shore leave, people! Chop-chop! Come on! Brighten up! We have approximately 8 standard hours to enjoy ourselves while the ship gets its snack. All our fantasies can come true with the power of holographic projection!’

 

Shinya heaved a long suffering sigh, ‘Yeah, I know what mine is; a universe without you.’

 

+

 

Ryu looked around uncertainly, buffeted in the storm of moving bodies that thronged the station’s central corridor. He didn’t’ know where to go; he didn’t even know why he had left the ship instead of going back like Kirito and Pata. The Vulcan had expressed a need to meditate, and the Trill was currently in semi-hibernation or whatever the hell Trills did; something about his symbiont needing rest.

 

After Doctor Terachi had used the station’s medical facilities to remove the jury-rigged valve from his chest, they fixed him up on a fully-equipped medical bed so he could breathe properly once more. Doctor’s orders were to stay put and rest, but faced with the prospect of the cramped medical bay or his equally cramped cabin, Ryu had sneaked out and currently found himself getting lost in the station. He had to admit, his chest still hurt a bit.

 

He was starting to panic. Where did all the people come from? They surged back and forth in a mindless wave, each going about their own business with no attention to him; their loud chatter and clacking footsteps making his head ache so much so that the coolness of the metal wall he was involuntarily pressed against was a relief. He was unused to so many people around; the science station had always been relatively quiet.

 

‘Having fun? Can’t be very comfortable, squashed like that.’ An amused voice filtered through.

 

‘Huh?’ Ryu blinked once; the voice was familiar but…Ryu blinked again. It was Sugizo; he just looked different in civilian clothing. The impact charged home and his eyes doubled in size; just what species was this person?? Civilian cloths … no civilian would wear something like that – well, ok, maybe. They looked evil on him. And he was wearing makeup too, Ryu realized; hand-applied makeup – not the instant kind. But still, makeup that didn’t quite hide the tiredness around his eyes.

 

‘Maybe you’re getting a thrill from the vibrations of the life-support engines? They’re embedded in the walls, you know. I heard the rhythm can be quite…titillating, ‘ Sugizo smirked, hands on hips. He certainly didn’t sound tired, his voice a cross between sarcastic and playful. ‘Mind giving me a personal account? I would certainly enjoy it from a human perspective.’

 

‘No, no! It’s not like that at all! I was just pushed here by the crowd…’ he trailed off pitifully. God, what was it about this alien that made him … he might as well just kill himself and save his poor self from further degradation and embarrassment.

 

‘Oh, you poor thing.’

 

Ryu noticed that the space was opening up around them; obviously people knew when to avoid the starship captain. Especially when he was dressed that way. Some clothes should just be banned. No; they shouldn’t exist, he corrected.

 

‘Come on.’ Sugizo grabbed Ryu’s arm. ‘We’ve only got three hours left; can’t believe Dr Terachi took that long to fix you up. Well, let’s go; you can’t waste your shore leave.’

 

‘But--!’ Ryu’s protests were soon lost in the crowd.

 

+

 

‘Table for two, please.’ Sugizo said cheerfully to the buxom Orion girl. She winked and giggled when Sugizo paused to whisper something in her ear. Ryu’s sharp ears caught it, and he blushed. He didn’t know that was possible. He grimaced … the sooner he found out what species this Sugizo was, the better he’ll know how to deal with him. He secretly prayed Sugizo wasn’t from a race with telepathic powers.

 

There was a roar inside the establishment and a huge crash as a table was flipped over, glasses shattering on the floor. Ryu felt himself pushed behind Sugizo automatically, the redhead’s face a little concerned and distant, as he focused on the situation. A group of Klingons stood among the carnage, roaring indecipherably in anger. Sugizo frowned.

 

‘Hey! Where are you going?’

 

‘No where. I’ve gotta settle this dispute; duty calls.’ Sugizo grinned, ‘Don’t tell me you care?’

 

Ryu opened his mouth to give a word of warning but Sugizo was already gone. He winced; Sugizo’s over the top personality was not going to go well with the Klingon bunch. He could just see it now; the whole place blown to bits with himself and Sugizo included. Sugizo inquired in Klingon and one of the Klingons snarled at Sugizo. The Ferengi was ducking behind an overturned table. Well, someone had sense.

 

Another Klingon slammed his fist on the table and Ryu grimaced – the shop owner was no going to be pleased with the split furniture. He watched with interest as Sugizo started speaking softly in fluent Klingon, alternating between differing members of the group. There was a little disgruntlement on the Klingon’s side, but it was soon smoothed over as Sugizo did some rapid talking with the Ferengi. Sugizo collected a bar of Latinum from the Ferengi was cowering behind the overturned table and handed it to who Ryu assumed was the Klingon leader. He came back with a triumphant smile.

 

‘What did you do?’

 

He grinned, ‘If you don’t know, then I really have to doubt your intelligence, Doctor.’

 

Ryu didn’t know why he bothered. He was about to ask what Sugizo could have possibly done that Klingons would respect him to listen to the deranged Starfleet Commander, but Sugizo was already pulling his arm, and Ryu stumbled to catch up. ‘Wait, where are we going now?’

 

‘To the best entertainment spot in this entire station! Well, it’s actually kind of a play on a Terran nightclub, but I heard there was a special guest appearance tonight. Come.’ He proceeded to drag Ryu through a darkened side corridor.

 

This had gone far enough. Ryu decided it was time to stand his own ground. ‘No, you listen to me! I’m supposed to be on medical leave! Dr Terachi will be extremely angry to know you disrupted my rest!’

 

Sugizo raised one eyebrow. ‘And who do you think was hopping mad? He dragged me over here and made me find you. Look, a good lie must always be backed up and you’re a pretty crap liar.’ he paused. ‘But you’re right about the extremely angry bit though. I’ve never seen him like that before, and I don’t think I can face him for taking so long to locate you. He’d probably take my head off, along with yours. So…while we’re still alive, let’s have fun.’

 

‘BUT -!’

 

Sugizo gave him an extra hard jerk, ‘Step on it!’

 

+

 

Ryu found himself involuntarily dragged into a small underground hole. He blinked; no it wasn’t a subterranean burrow or anything, but the synthetic rock and vines did make it look like a cave opening. He looked at it doubtfully. More like the resting place of some creature who had made his home in the service tubes.

 

‘Come on in, Doctor. What’s with the hesitation?’ Sugizo, already half-crawled into the aperture, poked his head back out with a small smile. ‘Don’t tell me you are afraid of the dark.’

 

‘But—‘

 

‘Don’t be such an anal retentive asshole. Come on, let’s get into the ….hole.’ Sugizo smiled innocently, his voice light and melodic for once, gently mocking. Ryu’s ears burned. Anyone else and he’d give them the benefit of doubt, but this person--! This PERSON!

 

‘By the way, before you start getting the wrong impression of me, this place really is called The Hole.’ Sugizo arched one eyebrow, and Ryu opened his mouth to protest. ‘And don’t tell me you didn’t; I have liars for breakfast on good days. Best kept secret on Omega VII – not everyone gets a go. Door price isn’t cheap, and you’ve already made me waste half my shore leave searching for you. The least you could do is accompany me for whatever’s left of it. So … coming or not?’

 

‘Well, only for the rest of shore leave.’ he replied cautiously, ‘ Anything else isn’t part of the deal.’

 

Sugizo grinned. ‘You thought that far already? Don’t worry, it’s not in my ethics to date people I work with. Well, not usually. I might make an exception for you though, if you’re nice enough.’ He watch Ryu’s face turn purple as he tried to stutter out a suitably cutting reply, but Sugizo beat him to it with a wry remark. ‘What’s the cliché human phrase? You’re cute you’re angry.’

 

‘You--!’

 

Sugizo grabbed Ryu’s arm and started pulling. ‘Time is money.’

 

Ryu followed reluctantly. He had no choice; it was that or spend the time being tortured by the unreasonable creature in front of him. The worst thing was Sugizo didn’t even break a sweat doing it. He crawled through the opening, which branched out into a smooth metal tunnel. It was totally dark, and the only thing he could feel other than his knees knocking against the cold metal was the rather over warm hand clasped around his wrist. It was not uncomfortable, just…unsettling.

 

He wondered when this tunnel would ever end. Well, Sugizo didn’t seem deterred; maybe his species could see in the dark; he unconsciously began ticking off all the races with night vision. Station Omega VII was a classic torus, and if they had entered on the central spokes as he suspected, it could probably take them the rest of the day to reach wherever they were heading to, dependant on the inner radius of curvature….

 

‘Ouch!’ Ryu rubbed his forehead. He had hit something hard, but at the same time soft too. What was it? Suddenly he realized the hand around his wrist was missing.

 

‘Sugizo? Where are you?’ he panicked. Surely he wouldn’t leave him here, alone in the dark?

 

‘Here, you bastard. Didn’t you hear me telling you to stop?’ Sugizo’s irritated voice floated up. The tunnel shaped strange echoes, and Ryu strained to hear. He caught a mumble, ‘…kiss my ass…’

 

‘Huh?’

 

‘I said if you wanted to, you should have found a better place to kiss my ass. It’s a little too dark and cramped in here for anything really creative. Or are you that good, Doctor?’

 

‘What?’

 

Sugizo sighed. The human could be so dense sometimes. ‘So…how did my rear feel?’ He allowed himself a small smirk. ‘I thought hands were the kind of sensory organs humans usually preferred but if you like to use your head, I’m all for it. Kind primitive though, don’t you think? Well, variety is the spice of life, right?’

 

Ryu blinked, at last comprehending. His face burned in embarrassment. ‘Look, Sugizo. I’m sorry, I didn’t—I couldn’t see, I didn’t mean… I didn’t want… I CAN’T BLOODY SEE OKAY!’

 

Sugizo chuckled. ‘Oh, please don’t make excuses on my behalf dear.’ He heckled at the choking noises; ‘Its all right….I know exactly what you want. Or to be more specific, who you want… only one question remains – how do you want it, Doctor?’

 

Before Ryu could even muster a reply, his too warm hand grabbed his again. ‘Let’s see…the grand entrance should be somewhere about….and here it is!’

 

A thin slice of purple light and the floor opened up below them. A large cavern which looked as if it had been hewed out of an enormous geode of black basalt, with iron ore veins running gunmetal silver under the smoky ultraviolet lighting. It was like something straight out of late 20th century history books, only better. Loud music was playing, and he could see miniature people moving about the dance floor, the bar, and the tiny little tables set in private cosy alcoves.

 

Too bad it was a good few hundred feet below.

 

Before Ryu even opened his mouth to scream, they were caught by a mesh netting. ‘Neat huh? The last time I was here they used invisible fibres. And placed it much lower. Thought I was going to splatter on the floor. I guess newcomers must complain. Well, that’s the price for exclusivity I guess.’

 

‘What kind of place is this??’

 

Sugizo’s mouth twitched to an indulgent grin. ‘Welcome to the Hole … Doctor.’

 

~

to be continued

 

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